SteyrAUG
08-11-10, 03:31
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1301744/Lockerbie-bomber-Al-Megrahi-going-given-3-months-live-year-ago.html
A year ago today Lockerbie bomber was given three months to live... he's still going strong
Angry relatives of Lockerbie victims have called for the medical records of freed bomber Abdelbaset Al Megrahi to be made public.
They say it is vital that the evidence which led to his release from a Scottish jail on compassionate grounds can be scrutinised.
Exactly a year ago, Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill was told the Libyan had just three months to live because of cancer. Megrahi was returned to his homeland 11 days later.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/10/article-0-0624D269000005DC-365_468x314.jpg
Abdelbaset Al Megrahi with his mother and daughter in Tripoli the day after his release
But families of the 270 people who died when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up, have been left furious by claims from independent experts that, following chemotherapy, the bomber could live well into next year or possibly longer.
Eileen Walsh, who lost her father, brother and pregnant sister in the 1988 terror attack, said: 'The man may have cancer, but the condition and the extent of it were greatly exaggerated. Release his medical records and prove me wrong.'
The demands have been backed by James Kelly, Scottish Labour's community safety spokesman, who said it was time the medical background to the release of the 58-year-old was published.
Former Libyan intelligence agent Megrahi was freed under Scots law that allows 'compassionate release' if medical reports show a prisoner has three months or less to live.
Mr MacAskill has always claimed the three-month prognosis, made by prison service medical director Dr Andrew Fraser, drew on advice from NHS cancer specialists.
But reports released by the Scottish Executive show no specialist 'would be willing to say' if they agreed with this verdict. It has steadfastly refused to release the full reports used by Dr Fraser.
Frank Duggan, of the Victims of Pan Am 103 group, said: 'Kenny MacAskill was warned he would need concrete and independent medical evidence to justify his decision and the papers show that simply wasn't there.
'The specialists could not agree on the three-month prognosis, but the Justice Secretary carried on regardless.
'Mr MacAskill was also warned Megrahi would receive a hero's welcome when he touched down in Tripoli and that is exactly what happened.
His handling of the whole episode has made him look a fool, he was duped into releasing this guy on the flimsiest of medical opinion.
'He needs to release the reports in full but I think everyone can already see there was no clear consensus.'
Mr MacAskill has always claimed 'clear medical advice' showed Megrahi - the only person convicted of the bombing - had three months to live.
But medical reports released after Megrahi's return to Libya show that only one of the four doctors who treated him in Scotland was prepared to say the bomber would die within this timescale.
The medic, believed to be Megrahi's own doctor, said the threemonth timescale was a reasonable estimate.
Mr Kelly said: 'We know that Megrahi intended to start chemotherapy - he indicated that in his application for release. It's now time for the full facts to come out.'
After the diagnosis of his prostate cancer in the autumn of 2008, doctors thought Megrahi would live for between 18 and 24 months.
The Libyan then failed to react to treatment and by June last year, the Executive's cancer specialists concluded survival could be 'months', rather than 'many months'.
Despite insisting the decision to free Megrahi was made in August last year, official Scottish reports show the doctors who treated the Lockerbie bomber had been preparing for the terrorist's return to his homeland for nearly a year.
A year ago today Lockerbie bomber was given three months to live... he's still going strong
Angry relatives of Lockerbie victims have called for the medical records of freed bomber Abdelbaset Al Megrahi to be made public.
They say it is vital that the evidence which led to his release from a Scottish jail on compassionate grounds can be scrutinised.
Exactly a year ago, Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill was told the Libyan had just three months to live because of cancer. Megrahi was returned to his homeland 11 days later.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/10/article-0-0624D269000005DC-365_468x314.jpg
Abdelbaset Al Megrahi with his mother and daughter in Tripoli the day after his release
But families of the 270 people who died when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up, have been left furious by claims from independent experts that, following chemotherapy, the bomber could live well into next year or possibly longer.
Eileen Walsh, who lost her father, brother and pregnant sister in the 1988 terror attack, said: 'The man may have cancer, but the condition and the extent of it were greatly exaggerated. Release his medical records and prove me wrong.'
The demands have been backed by James Kelly, Scottish Labour's community safety spokesman, who said it was time the medical background to the release of the 58-year-old was published.
Former Libyan intelligence agent Megrahi was freed under Scots law that allows 'compassionate release' if medical reports show a prisoner has three months or less to live.
Mr MacAskill has always claimed the three-month prognosis, made by prison service medical director Dr Andrew Fraser, drew on advice from NHS cancer specialists.
But reports released by the Scottish Executive show no specialist 'would be willing to say' if they agreed with this verdict. It has steadfastly refused to release the full reports used by Dr Fraser.
Frank Duggan, of the Victims of Pan Am 103 group, said: 'Kenny MacAskill was warned he would need concrete and independent medical evidence to justify his decision and the papers show that simply wasn't there.
'The specialists could not agree on the three-month prognosis, but the Justice Secretary carried on regardless.
'Mr MacAskill was also warned Megrahi would receive a hero's welcome when he touched down in Tripoli and that is exactly what happened.
His handling of the whole episode has made him look a fool, he was duped into releasing this guy on the flimsiest of medical opinion.
'He needs to release the reports in full but I think everyone can already see there was no clear consensus.'
Mr MacAskill has always claimed 'clear medical advice' showed Megrahi - the only person convicted of the bombing - had three months to live.
But medical reports released after Megrahi's return to Libya show that only one of the four doctors who treated him in Scotland was prepared to say the bomber would die within this timescale.
The medic, believed to be Megrahi's own doctor, said the threemonth timescale was a reasonable estimate.
Mr Kelly said: 'We know that Megrahi intended to start chemotherapy - he indicated that in his application for release. It's now time for the full facts to come out.'
After the diagnosis of his prostate cancer in the autumn of 2008, doctors thought Megrahi would live for between 18 and 24 months.
The Libyan then failed to react to treatment and by June last year, the Executive's cancer specialists concluded survival could be 'months', rather than 'many months'.
Despite insisting the decision to free Megrahi was made in August last year, official Scottish reports show the doctors who treated the Lockerbie bomber had been preparing for the terrorist's return to his homeland for nearly a year.